Sunday, January 23 2005 16:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, today (Jan 23, 2005) declared war on next Sunday's (Jan 30, 2005) elections which he said were aimed at bringing the country under Shiite control, in an audiotape posted on an Islamist website.

The polls are a "wicked trap aimed at putting the Rafidhi (Shiites) in the seat of power in Iraq," said the voice attributed to Zarqawi.

"Four million Rafidhi have been brought in from Iran to take part in the elections so that they realize their aim of taking most seats in the atheist National Assembly.

For these and other reasons, we have declared all-out war on this wicked course," the voice said.